Matthew Danger Lippman (henceforth MDL), currently residing in NYC but also an erstwhile Buffalonian (anyone still around from 2014? You may remember Brimstone Blondes) and buffaBLOG contributor, brings his single “Set Up” from his upcoming full length Once You Get Low You’ve Gotta Start Flying Baby for your listening pleasure.
MDL has previously opened for such artists as Foxygen (a personal favorite of mine), Shonen Knife, and Active Bird Community. We tried to get him to write this review himself but he threw a guitar at the editor when asked. [Editor’s note: this is actually not true, it was a snare drum.]
“Set Up” is soulful fucking (soulfucking?) pop-rock ear worm that rewards multiple listens. Carefully curated guitar and a rollicking bass track give way to fun synth interludes and backing vocals a la a gospel revival choir. MDL, ever the enigmatic frontman, opens up his thesaurus and points out the myriad ways a “set up” ends up (a date, life in general, failure while cleverly playing with “get up, sped up, fed up met up, fucks my head up”).
A lot of the clever turns of phrase reminded me of Father John Misty at his best, Pavement, or a bluesier Say Anything. You’ll definitely find a lot to enjoy with MDL, especially some of his earlier EPs and singles. Be sure to give a listen over on Band Camp or Spotify, and keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for Once You Get Low You’ve Gotta Start Flying Baby out June 2nd.